Healthy Whole Grain Salad with Citrus

This healthy whole grain salad is gluten free and vegetarian. Made from gluten free oat groats and a mix of beautiful citrus, like blood orange, mandarin, and kumquat, it is finished with a really special vanilla bean vinaigrette, pistachios, and goat cheese. This is a hearty salad with tons of flavor. Perfect for a lovely lunch or dinner.

Healthy Whole Grain Salad with Citrus

Almost exactly one year ago, my back was so bad that I took three months off work. I considered back surgery, and really struggled with what it meant to be unable to do the work I’d done my entire adult life. While I was off work, I also had a cooking accident, which almost cost me a fingertip. It was a rough patch to say the least.

A few weeks ago, while getting ready to have my friends Lani and Tom for dinner, something snapped in my back. I acted fast this time, going on steroids, getting an epidural shot right away and doing pilates at home as well as my physical therapy exercises that I’ve become all-too familiar with.

Then came another cooking accident- this time a burn from hot butter and spices, stretching from my neck to my solar plexus. It looks like a map of Hawaii, and it hurts like mad.

Worse than the pain, is the fear. I’ve been here before, and I am not the kind of person who likes to be in stasis. Recently, I’ve let this fear completely paralyze me. There have been no posts here, no meals photographed, no recipes written. I’ve been stuck, and unable to push myself from the ledge.

I keep thinking of my friend Michael Procopio. We dined together a few months ago when he was suffering from a bout of writers block coupled with a case of serious perfectionism. I went back to reread the piece he was working on at the time of our dinner. One line jumped out at me:

“All the bad things are the product of my own, fertile imagination.”

Leave it to Mr. Procopio to drop some pearls of wisdom.

It turns out, another of my friends and fellow bloggers has been struggling. Like me, he’s been cooking (or rather baking) and doing some upgrades to his site, but hasn’t been posting. The longer he waited the harder it became to post. Kamran of The Sophisticated Gourmet, is a fantastic writer and photographer, the pressure became overwhelming. He finally posted late last week with some delectable (and simple) cupcakes and some very big news. Congratulations on the fantastic post Kamran, and on the book! I’m so glad you’re back.

The thing is. I know better than to get wrapped up in my own head about things I can’t control like my back, and burning myself, and the idea of being perfect, but sometimes it’s nice to have a reminder to just get unstuck. The tremendous thing about blogs/Twitter/social media is that we support one another sometimes without even realizing we’re doing it.

So I’d like to thank my friends Michael and Kamran- one just a few miles away, one all the way across the country, you both helped me, immensly.

I can’t let fear and judgement get in the way of what I really love like cooking, and writing, and photography. Like seeing friends and family and experiencing joy fully every day. Yeah, I’m going to put those in the important pile. Those and whole grain salads.

INGREDIENTS HEALTHY WHOLE GRAIN SALAD WITH CITRUS

2 cups gluten free oat groats

4 blood oranges

2 mandarin oranges

4 kumquats

a couple of handfuls of spicy greens like wild arugula, mizune, or peppercress

4 oz chevre

½ cup roasted unsalted pistachios, chopped

sea salt and pepper to taste

*pistachio oil (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS HEALTHY WHOLE GRAIN SALAD WITH CITRUS

Cook oats in 5 cups of cold salted water, bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 50-60 minutes, drain if any water remains

Peel mandarins and blood oranges using a knife removing as much a white pith as possible (as shown) slice, and remove pithy center.

Once cooled, add blood oranges, mandarins, kumquats, ¾ of the chopped pistachios and greens, season with salt and pepper, and finally top with crumbled chèvre and toss very lightly. Top each serving with a bit of pistachio and a drizzle of pistachio oil

Hi Winnie, every time I sat down to write something about a recipe, it felt completely disingenuous, so finally, I spilled the beans. I don't know how most people feel about reading this post, but in the end, I know that a few people that I like and respect enjoyed it, and it helped me get out of my funk. Perhaps, it's helped someone else do the same.
RE your PS, thanks so much, I'm feeling better already.

Strange! I know (or think I know) I posted a comment on this post already, mostly because I just wanted to say I'm sorry that things have been rough! I feel for you, and on some level understand the struggles. Thanks for the great writing, perspective, attitude…and recipe. And sorry my earlier comment didn't go thru!

Ugh, I'm so sorry to hear about your back troubles and your kitchen accidents. They sound like absolutely positively no fun at all. And I can totally relate about that paralyzing fear that keeps you from moving forward… it's like a big heavy wet blanket draped across your shoulders, smothering your ambitions and creativity. It's a hard beast to shake, but I am so glad that you have a support system to turn to.

This is such an interesting age we live and write in, isn't it? Imagine what life would be like without our Internet friends. I feel like my beast would be with me much more often without my world of virtual love & support.

Anyway, this salad looks absolutely gorgeous, I love the inclusion of vanilla in the dressing. Seems like it would pair so nicely with the blood oranges.

I'm thinking about you and sending good vibes from Philly. Keep up the great work– the community just wouldn't be the same without you!

It's 12:10AM here and I'm sending you many warm hugs! I am so glad that I wasn't the only one in a rut, but gosh, you came back with a bang my friend! Everything about this post is utterly gorgeous. I especially love that this salad is so unique–it's something I'm definitely having this week! I love the scattering of verde pistachios, the slices of venetian red oranges, and that beautiful vanilla bean vinaigrette that sings a sweet & savory song. It's utterly perfect.

I simply cannot wait to try this, and when I do, I'm reporting back here to tell everyone how you're a genius! 🙂